NBA NEWS - NBA 75th Anniversary Team

October 29, 1961 Oscar Robertson handed out a franchise-record 22 assists during Cincinnati’s 139-132 win over visiting Syracuse

Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain exemplified how to play the game without Showtime hot-dogging. The two battled for over a decade during the 60's. Since that time no NBA center could compare to their brute talent - (Library of Congress photo) NR's All-time NBA's GREATEST TEAM

Bob Cousy is one of the NBA's TOP 50 and 75th Anniversary team all-time Greatest players. He is one of only four players who have been named to all four NBA Anniversary Teams

Eleven active players have been named to the 75th Anniversary Team: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook - Bill Russell joins Cousy, Mikan and Pettit as the only four players who have been named to all four NBA Anniversary Teams: the 25th Anniversary Team (10 players named), 35th Anniversary Team (11 players named), 50th Anniversary Team and 75th Anniversary Team. (The 25th Anniversary Team was the only one of the four teams that did not allow for the inclusion of active players at the time.) - THIS DAY IN THE NBA

NEW YORK, NY USA

Thursday October 21, 2021

A total of 158 NBA championships and 730 NBA All-Star selections. A combined 110 NBA Most Valuable Player Awards and Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Awards. More than 1.5 million points scored.

Those are just some of the collective accomplishments of the players who comprise the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, which was announced across TNT and ESPN from Oct. 19-21 as the league tipped off its landmark 75th Anniversary Season.

The NBA 75th Anniversary Team was selected by a blue-ribbon panel of current and former NBA players, coaches, general managers and team and league executives, WNBA legends and sportswriters and broadcasters. Voters were asked to select the 75 Greatest Players in NBA History without regard to position. Panelists did not rank their selections. Current and former players were not allowed to vote for themselves.

As a result of a tie in the voting, the 75th Anniversary Team features 76 players. Team highlights include:

o Eleven active players have been named to the 75th Anniversary Team: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.

o All 50 members of the NBA 50th Anniversary Team, which was named in 1996, have been selected to the 75th Anniversary Team.

o The 75th Anniversary Team includes four players who played in the first NBA All-Star Game in 1951 (Paul Arizin, Bob Cousy, George Mikan and Dolph Schayes), the first winner of the NBA Most Valuable Player Award (Bob Pettit for the 1955-56 season) and the first winner of the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award (Jerry West for the 1969 NBA Finals).

o Bill Russell joins Cousy, Mikan and Pettit as the only four players who have been named to all four NBA Anniversary Teams: the 25th Anniversary Team (10 players named), 35th Anniversary Team (11 players named), 50th Anniversary Team and 75th Anniversary Team. (The 25th Anniversary Team was the only one of the four teams that did not allow for the inclusion of active players at the time.)

o Six international players from six countries and territories have been selected to the 75th Anniversary Team: Antetokounmpo (Greece), Tim Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands), Patrick Ewing (Jamaica), Steve Nash (Canada), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria).

o The five NBA legends who are serving as ambassadors for the 75th Anniversary Season are part of the 75th Anniversary Team: Clyde Drexler, Magic Johnson, Nowitzki, Pettit and Oscar Robertson. Representing different eras of the league's history, the ambassadors will make appearances throughout the 2021-22 season and have a significant presence at NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland.

THIS DAY IN THE NBA

October 21, 1967 The expansion Seattle SuperSonics won their first NBA game, defeating San Diego in overtime, 117-110.

October 21, 1972 One day after setting an NBA record by scoring 58 points in the fourth quarter of a 126-118 loss at Boston, the Buffalo Braves scored an NBA record-low four points in the third quarter of a 91-63 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Buffalo.

October 21, 1976 Adrian Dantley and Alex English made their debuts against each other. Dantley’s Buffalo Braves defeated English’s Milwaukee Bucks 133-112.

October 21, 1979 Guard Sam Smith of the Chicago Bulls scored the first four-point play in NBA history during a 113-111 loss to the Bucks at Milwaukee.

October 21, 1995 The Houston Rockets defeat Buckler Bologna of Italy 126-112 in the championship game of the six-team McDonald’s Championship, in front of a sellout crowd of 10,708 at London Arena in London, England. Clyde Drexler is awarded the Drazen Petrovic Trophy as the tournament MVP after averaging 20.5 points and 8.5 assists in two games, including 25 points and 10 assists against Buckler Bologna. The Rockets, who downed Australia’s Perth Wildcats 116-72 in the tournament semifinals, are the first reigning NBA Champion to play in the McDonald’s Championship